‘The Legion’ honors a legend at Fort Campbell

At a dedication of a Special Forces complex on Fort Campbell in his honor, Medal of Honor recipient retired Maj. Drew Dix told 5th Special Forces Group soldiers, “We're not special because we want to be treated special, but because we know and do special things.”
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FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. – A building was dedicated at Fort Campbell on Friday, but the man whose name now adorns it did some dedicating of his own, instilling a reminder in a new generation of Special Forces soldiers of why they exist and who they are.

Retired Maj. Drew Dix, Medal of Honor recipient as a staff sergeant in Vietnam and the first enlisted Special Forces soldier to earn the award, stood with Lt. Col. Joseph Lock, Commander, 4th Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), as a plaque was unveiled proclaiming the Maj. Drew Dennis Dix Special Operations Complex.

The warriors of 5th Special Forces Group, “The Legion,” in attendance on Friday morning have pride in abundance in their quiet, professional way, but meeting a living embodiment of their ethos was still a big moment, and the sight of the Medal of Honor, especially when worn by one of their own, hikes the pride level up several notches.

And the story of this particular medal and its recipient truly reinforces their reason for being.

Lock stated, prior to the dedication, that Dix’s Medal of Honor citation “barely scratches the surface of the heroic actions of Major Dix and his men, and it understates the key reason he was able to survive a situation as perilous as the Tet Offensive.

“He was successful not just because of exceptional heroism and audacity in the face of overwhelming odds, but because he won the hearts and minds of an indigenous force who treated him like a brother, were inspired by his heroism and willingly risked their lives to defeat a numerically superior enemy.”

Said Dix, following the ceremony, of the vastly outnumbered Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) troops he led for 30 hours of intense urban fighting, “They rallied. They were good troops. They just needed leadership.”

‘Just go out there’

It has been said of Pueblo, Colorado, that there must be something in the water that produces heroes, as Dix was the fourth resident of the town to earn the nation’s highest honor for valor.

Speaking before the inheritors of his legacy, Dix credited the training he received as giving him the confidence to do what he did in late January 1968.

What he did was to take command, as a staff sergeant and the lone American on the scene at a town called Chau Phu near the Cambodian border, of a combination of mercenaries and ARVN troops totaling not more than 20 men, and lead them to victory against a force of over 600.

The scene was the Tet Offensive. Dix was “in country” with a mission to work with the Central Intelligence Agency, with a simple set of orders.

According to Dix, the mission was, “Just go out there, capture the enemy and let us know what you got.”

When the Tet Offensive was unleashed, Dix’s team of mercenary soldiers were spread out on leave for the Tet holiday, the most important on the Vietnamese calendar. As the situation spiraled seemingly out of control, the battle to retain Chau Phu was considered hopeless by other American forces on the scene, who left him to figure it out on his own.

He decided to fight. A few of his soldiers in town saw him fighting alone and jumped in to join him. They, in turn, summoned some ARVN soldiers who were inspired by the courage they were witnessing.

‘What an American soldier does’

Drew had more to draw on than just training. He had the then-short but heroic legacy of special forces set before him, instilled by working with some of the original World War II special operators of the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) and veterans of the famed Jedburgh teams.

And he was an American soldier and inheritor of a tradition of soldiers of low rank, but with a highly-developed sense of personal responsibility, that had turned the tide of past battles.

“Taking charge of a situation where you can do some good is what an American soldier does,” he said in an interview following Friday’s ceremony.

Asked how he could beat a force of 600 with such a small force of his own, Dix answered, “Well, I guess we just had more to shoot at.

“We moved fast and never stayed and made a defensive position. Our training was to move and don’t give (the enemy) a chance to organize. They were a conventional force.”

‘Our war is not over’

Dix, co-founder of the Center For American Values, where he continues to serve today on a different front, reinforced the reason for unconventional forces during his speech on Friday and lauded the renewed emphasis on unconventional warfare that looks to be an increasing part of the Army’s future.

Dix received a direct commission as an officer following his Medal of Honor actions, and in his speech he took nothing away from the Army’s conventional forces, fondly recalling later service as the commander of “the finest draftees anyone could have” in Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division.

But he stressed the need for unconventional warriors, stating, “The beginning of the OSS was not because some person had a magic belief that we ought to work with indigenous troops. We were heavily engaged in a world war, and we needed to take the heat off some of our conventional units.

“That’s what we’re going to have to continue to do in the future. Our war is not over. I think it’s just beginning.”

Philip Grey, 245-0719

Military affairs reporter

philipgrey@theleafchronicle.com

Twitter: @PhilipGrey_Leaf

MEDAL OF HONOR CITATION

The President of the United States in the name of the Congress takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Drew Dennis Dix United States Army for service as set forth in the following citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. SSG. Dix distinguished himself by exceptional heroism while serving as a unit adviser. Two heavily armed Viet Cong battalions attacked the Province capital city of Chau Phu resulting in the complete breakdown and fragmentation of the defenses of the city. SSG. Dix, with a patrol of Vietnamese soldiers, was recalled to assist in the defense of Chau Phu. Learning that a nurse was trapped in a house near the center of the city, SSG. Dix organized a relief force, successfully rescued the nurse, and returned her to the safety of the Tactical Operations Center. Being informed of other trapped civilians within the city, SSG. Dix voluntarily led another force to rescue eight civilian employees located in a building which was under heavy mortar and small-arms fire. SSG. Dix then returned to the center of the city. Upon approaching a building, he was subjected to intense automatic rifle and machinegun fire from an unknown number of Viet Cong. He personally assaulted the building, killing six Viet Cong, and rescuing two Filipinos. The following day SSG. Dix, still on his own volition, assembled a 20-man force and though under intense enemy fire cleared the Viet Cong out of the hotel, theater, and other adjacent buildings within the city. During this portion of the attack, Army Republic of Vietnam soldiers inspired by the heroism and success of SSG. Dix, rallied and commenced firing upon the Viet Cong. SSG. Dix captured 20 prisoners, including a high ranking Viet Cong official. He then attacked enemy troops who had entered the residence of the Deputy Province Chief and was successful in rescuing the official's wife and children. SSG. Dix's personal heroic actions resulted in 14 confirmed Viet Cong killed in action and possibly 25 more, the capture of 20 prisoners, 15 weapons, and the rescue of the 14 United States and free world civilians. The heroism of SSG. Dix was in the highest tradition and reflects great credit upon the U.S. Army.